Quincy a



O. A. BRACKETT.

VIBRATING RECTIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14. I915,

1,3 1 1,490. I latmited July 29, 1919.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEY widely separated and UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.-

QUIN'CY A. BRAGKETT, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TOWESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION 01PENNSYLVANIA.

VIIBBATING RECTIFIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, QUINCY A. Bnaoxnrr, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Pittsbur h in the count of Allegheny and State 0Iennsylvania, ave invented a new and useful Improvement in VibratingRectifiers, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to current rectifiers of the mechanical orvibrating type, and it has for its object to provide means whereby thecoacting operating magnetlc fluxes ma device of the character describedmay be developed in a simple manner by suitable modification of anordinary transformer.

The accompanyin figure is a diagrammatic view of a recti er embodyingone form of my invention. A

In the operation of current rectifiers of the mechamcal or vibratingtype, it is customary to provide two coacting magnetic fluxes, one ofwhich is unidirectional and the other of which is alternating. In theprior art, it has been customary to provide a unidirectional magneticflux either by a permanent magnet or by a separate winding excited froma source of direct current.

By my invention, I am enabled to obtain the two above-mentioned magneticfluxes in a simple and effective manner without the use of any windingsexcept those of the ordinary transformer commonly employed withrectifiers and without the use of a separate exciting source of directcurrent.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, a source of alternating current 1is connected to the primary winding 2 of a transformer 3 carrying asecondary winding 4. The core of the transformer 3 is substantiallyrectangular in cross section and the primary and secondary windi arenecessaril istinct from eac other. A leakage path for magnetic flux isprovided between points in the core of the transformer 3 adjacent to themid oints of the primary and secondary win ings by means of suitablepole pieces 5 and-6. In

like manner, a path for leakage flux connects points between thewindings 2 and 4 and is composed of a pole piece? and a vibrating 0rpivoted member 8 of ma etic material. The member 8 carries suitab econtact members 9 and 10 for coacting with similar fixed contact members11 and 12, preferably mounted on the tips of-the members-fi and by anysuitable and well lmown means, contact will be made alternately at thecontact member 11 and at the contact member 12 and current from thesecondary winding 4 will be rectified and supplied to the battery 14 asis well known in the art. The alternate pulses of current in the twohalves of the secondary winding 4 will set up waves of magnetic fluxas'indicated by arrows 15 and 16 and these waves of magnetic flux willconsolidate to form a unidirectional magnetic flux through the Lpolepieces 5 and 6 1n the manner describe in an application for UnitedStates Patent, Serial No. 840,724, filed by Ray P. Jackson and assignedto the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. An alternatingmagnetic flux will be established through the and the reed 8 similar tothe ordinary transformer leakage flux. As a result, the upper end of thereed 8- will be continually reversingin magnetic polarity at synchronousspeed and will coact with the unidirectional poles 5 and 6 so as tovibrate in synchronism for rectifying the current from the secondarywinding 4 as is desired.

Obviously, the two magnetic leakage paths of my device may betransposed, that is to say, the reed 8 may be caused to form a part ofthe unidirectional leakage flux path,

whereas the alternating flux path is provided by two fixed pole pieces.

. I wish it to be distinctly understood that my rectifier maybe providedwith any old and well known means for suppressing or obviating sparkingor for suitably adjusting the phase of the current in the differentparts of the aaratus. All of such means are old and well own in the artand do not constitute a part of the present invention and a descriptionthereof is omitted therefore for the sake of simplicity.

pole piece 7 ile I have described my invention in the preferred formthereof, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it issusceptible of various minor changes and modifications without departingfrom the spir t thereof, and I desire, therefore, that no lnmtationsshall be laced thereupon except such as are imposed y the prior art orare specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: v

1. In 'a rectifier of the mechanical type, rectifying parts dependentfor their operation upon the interaction of a unidirectional magneticflux and an alternating magnetlc fiux, a transformer, and means forroducing each of said magnetic fluxes as eakage fluxes of windings onsaid transformer.

2. In a mechanical rectifier, the combination with a transformer, ofmeans for producing therein a'rectified leakage flux, ad-

, ditional means for producing therein an alternating leakage flux, andmeans whereby provided with a split secondary winding, of

means therein for providing a path for altern'ating leakage flux,additional means therein for providing a leakage path for unidirectionalmagnetic flux when current is drawn alternately from each half of saidsecondary winding, and means whereby the interaction of saidtwo leakagefluxesmanipulates a switching device for the rectification of current oflike frequency to that supplied to the transformer.

5. The combination with a transformer provided with a split secondarywinding,

of means therein for providing a path for alternating leakage flux,additional means therein for providing a leakage path for unidirectionalmagnetic flux when current is drawn alternately from each half of saidsecondary winding, and means whereby the interaction of said two leakagefluxes manipulates a switching device whereby circuits through each halfof said secondary winding are closed alternately.

6. Means for providing interacting unidirectional and alternatingmagnetic fluxes for the operation of a vibratory rectifier comprising atransformer provided with a core member carrylng separated primary andsecondary windings, a flux leak e path connecting points in said coremeii l er adjacent the mid points of said windings and a fiux leakagepath connecting points in said core lying between said windings, aportion of one of said leakage paths being coinposedof a movable membercarrying a contact member arranged to coact with a pair of .fixedcontact members to rectify current from said secondary winding.

7. The combinat on with a transformer having a core member which forms asub stantlally closed magnetic circuit and is provided with separatedprimary and secondary windings, of a source of alternating currentconnected to said primary winding, means for providing a flux leakagepath across said core member connecting substantially the mid points ofsaid windings, means .for establishing an additional leakage path acrosssaid core member betweenpoints thereof between said windings, a portionof one of said leakage paths comprising a movable member of magneticmaterial provided with a contact member connected to substanti ally themidpoint of said secondary winding through a direct current consumptioncircuit, and a pair of fixed contact members mounted adjacent to saidmovable contact member and connected, respectively, to terminals of saidsecondary winding, whereby said movable member will be caused to oscillate its contact member between said fixed contact members andalternating current from'said secondary winding will be rectified andsupplied to said consumption circuit.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th dayof April 1915.

QUINCY A. BRAO'KETT.

